Geneva Foundry site cleanup to begin this summer

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation said Friday that cleanup of properties in neighborhoods adjacent to the former Geneva Foundry site on Jackson Street will begin this summer.

Residential and commercial properties, including licensed day care facilities, closest to the foundry site, where soil contaminant concentrations are typically expected to be higher, will be prioritized.

Letters targeting an initial group of some 30 residences nearest to the former foundry have been mailed to homeowners.

The list of properties to be cleaned up in 2017 will be developed based on sampling results, access granted by property owners and conditions on-the-ground.

Once permission has been granted, DEC will meet with property owners to review the remedial design and restoration plans for the properties.

This will be the first year of a multiyear cleanup effort which will be paid for with state superfund money, the DEC reported.

State officials announced last year that 220 properties near the site had high levels of toxic chemicals.